North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[<dmnorton@royaloakfarmorchard.com>]

This season I used the new codling moth Virosoft cp4 virus from Biotepp found at http://www.biotepp.com/en/products/viroCP4/viroCP4.html.  It's organic and has helped reduce our codling moth population by threefold.  I used it as the last spray of a 3 spray program that included Rimon as the first spray, Assail as the second and the virus as the third and fourth.  Since this was only the first year it is available in the US I did not want to depend on it totally.  But it can be used as the only CM spray you need.  It is available from Great Lakes IPM in Michigan and sells for $10/oz.  A 32 ounce bottle is $320 and will cover 16 acres at a 2.0 oz./acre rate.   An Assail spray costs us about $2100 and the virus spray $980.   Our codling moth has been below threshold for 4 weeks now.  This time last season the counts were in the double digits, way over threshold.

 

Next season I plan to use Rimon for the first spray and the virus for 2 sprays.  In 2009, I plan to use only the virus for our 3 CM sprays which are Pre-egg-laying, Early egg-laying, and First egg hatch.  A fourth spray would be at peak egg hatch if over threshold.  

 

If any one has any questions about the virus, feel free to contact me.  Hope someone finds this info useful.

  

Dennis Norton
Royal Oak Farm Orchard
http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com
http://www.theorchardkeeper.blogspot.com
http://www.revivalhymn.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Naomi

To: 'North American Fruit Explorers'

Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2007 10:46 AM

Subject: [NAFEX] Fruit footies -not for coddling moth

I decided to try the Fruit Footies for coddling moth protection in Zone 6 Idaho.

 

They really did not work.  It can make a hole in the footie and the egg is laid and the worm develops.  Fruit is shriveling and falling.  It seems pretty ineffective for coddling moth here.  The plastic bags worked much better.  Too bad.  I really liked the idea.

 

Anyone want a mostly unused sack of Fruit Footies? (Maybe 40 missing out of 300.)

Naomi